Say it ain't so!

So work hasn't blocked my blog world, But they've blocked my ability to post comments on any and my own posts. That added to the crazy schedule I've had the past week and you will understand why I've been away. I'm sorry followers. I'll be back soon.

What did you just say???

My nephew has gotten to the talkative stage where you wonder where they got this stuff from...

To my cousin "Well the pees didn't come out so maybe I need a diaper."

she said "The packages for diapers only have babies on them."

To which he responded, "Mom underwears are for big boys and diapers are for babies...do you get the point?!"

or

"Mom do you have a pee pee?"

"No Hunny, I'm a girl, girls don't have pee pees"

"You're a gwirl?"

"Yes"

"You mean you're not a boy?"

"Nope"

"Mom, do gwirls have bums?"

Interview with a Temp replacement and a Fabric Igloo

On Tuesday we interviewed our first candidate for my mat leave replacement. She was very talented and seemed professional. Just like when they hired me, there is a 3 hour Word and PowerPoint test that is given. It's all about formatting and making two documents using a few instructions and a print out of what the document should look like. It's not about getting both documents done. It's about the quality of what is done, and what formatting techniques you use to do so. She has almost 10 years of experience using PowerPoint, however she didn't score to high on the test. I was a bit disappointed. Our HR head assured me that most people don't score very high on the test. I'm not to concerned with the score more than I am concerned with the person's ability to not only do the everyday job, but act as a support for the rest of the department. Often they ask me to help them do something when they don't know how. If I don't know I tell them I will look for an answer and get back to them. Good old Microsoft help. I know this is something they could do, but they don't have the time. My replacement should be able to at least pull up the help window and get more of the test completed. So the search continues.

In other unrelated news, here's Milo on Sunday and his fabric igloo. While my sister drew the mural, Milo played with our Ikea futon cover. He rolled and burrowed in it till we could no longer see him. He slept there for a few hours peacefully.

Not every Monday is a "Monday"

I was off work today. I had some blood work and tests to do at the hospital for the baby. After we went to my aunt's house to give her a thank you gift for all her hard work. She has sewn all of the nursery decor for us. She made the drapes, crib skirt, floor pillows, bassinet sheet and bumper pad for the bassinet. Bunny is so lucky, they all look wonderful. I wish I could show you pictures, but K is really set on having one big reveal when the nursery is all put together.

So instead I've included a picture of the laundry room rack / shelf finished. K painted it white to match all the trim work. We got some neat boxes with windows for shoe storage and some white wooden hangers from Ikea. K's shirts hang dry now and our dress shoes that don't get smushed under all of the everyday shoes in the coat closet. At last the laundry room and the coat closet are done.

After my aunt's house we went to see our nephew play hockey. He's only 7. It was so cute. His dad even told us that he seemed to be pushing a bit harder because he knew we were there watching. On the way home, K stopped to get the mail. Guess what finally came ... the fabric for Bunny's quilt! We are so excited. I can actually start the quilt for them now.

A productive Sunday

Progress on DLN's quilt along has begun! I finally went to the store and got myself a compass. I've been meaning to get one all week so that I could get started. Today I put pencil to paper and made my template. I also was able to trace out 108 petals onto the lining and cut them all out. It was a productive day for my quilt along.

Here's a sneak at some of the Amy Butler, Daisy Chain fabrics I will be using along with a few others that are on order. They may seem to "feminine" for a boy's quilt, but I might end up making this quilt as a lap quilt for myself. I have another quilt in the works for the baby anyway.

My sister also made some progress on the nursery mural. She is drawing and painting a huge tree on the wall with birds that will sit above the change table. As you can see she had some supervision throughout the day. Milo is definitely a people cat. He doesn't need to be on your lap, he just likes to be in the same room. He sat in the room with us for most of the day.

24 weeks and Halloween

Here I am at 24 weeks. I can't believe we are already at our 6 month mark. The room I'm standing in is now the painted nursery. It's painted a creamy yellow. My sister started the wall mural painting this weekend. The change table and night table are both in the nursery too. We have to repair the crib, hang the drapes and then we can start with the real decorating. I can't wait.

Over to Halloween news, here's our front porch decorated a few minutes before our first kids showed up. It's nothing too scary or elaborate. I couldn't stand on a ladder or finish the decorations I wanted to make. The pregnancy has limited me in some ways. I guess it was a good thing though, most of the kids in our neighbourhood are under the age of 8 and were scared enough of our house. Overall it was a great evening. We had close to 200 kids! yikes.

Trick or treat!

Mommy Finds

I've been spending a bit of time online researching products. Products for me and products for the Bunny. Next to making list, researching online is my second favorite thing to do. I love being asked a question and then spending the time to find the answer. One thing K taught me this week was to add "review" to the end of my Google search. That way the links that Google finds have to do with reviews of the item I am looking for.

This past Sunday, K and I went to the Babytime show. We gathered and found information and talked with vendors. Recently my bf asked my opinion on baby bath products. To be honest I had thought about using the Aveeno line. My nephew has very sensitive skin and when his doctor recommended Aveeno it got me thinking. So up until a few weeks ago I was set on Aveeno. After speaking with a few vendors I've started to think about a different line. So when I was doing my online review searches for this line I came upon the site below. Sweetspot has many product suggestions and reviews for moms. Both for you and for your children. If you're interested and have some time, take a look.

The product line that I was researching is called "Live Clean". They are a Canadian manufacturer that have a line of hair and body products and also a line of natural baby bath products. They use 98% plant ingredients that are renewable which is great for the environment. Live Clean products are also vegan and not tested on animals. Another great thing is all the chemical ingredients that have been left out. SLS / Sulfate free, DEA free, and Paraben / Phthalate / Phosphate Free. What do all of these mean? Well they are mild and gentle on the skin and there are no harsh preservatives or perfumes used.

Tonight K and I tried two products. We got the regular bath wash and the lotion from the baby line. The bath wash felt nice and silky on our skin and smelt pretty good. The baby lotion was even better. It was smooth and smelt great. It worked into my skin pretty easily and didn't leave any greasy residue on my hands like other lotions. With a price point lower than the Aveeno line and all the natural elements and environmental benefits, Live Clean is looking like a good choice to make.

The next item is something that K and I have been researching and have come to change our minds on too. Originally we liked the Peg Perego Switch stroller. There are so many pros to that stroller, we almost didn't look past it. However when we were making our registry last week we began to question if we had weighed all the pros and cons. I turned to The Consumers Report website. A fantastic site if you are looking to purchase a large item. A car, appliances, electronics, or even baby products. It worried us that the Switch wasn't even tested. There were other Peg Perego strollers on the list , but no Switch. So we looked at the strollers that were on the list and came to a decision. The UPPABaby Vista. The Vista is very similar to the Buggaboo. There are a few differences, price being one of them. The Vista is ~$200 less than the Buggaboo, but ranks higher on the Consumers Report. The Vista has a easy one-step fold, with a bassinet and seat. A pop-out SPF 50 canopy extension with 30% more sun coverage. The bassinet is fully lined with organic soybean fiber and cotton. The seat is reversible and has 3 position seat angle adjustment. For east adjustment between me or K the handle comes with one button telescopic handle-height adjustment. The rubber-coated wheels never go flat or need air. One feature I did like was that the seat level was higher than the Buggaboo and Switch, making baby closer to me. Light-weight aircraft aluminum alloy frame means I won’t struggle as much with lifting the stroller in and out of the trunk. Last the weight restriction is suitable from birth to 50 lbs.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Aveeno and the Buggaboo aren't great products. Like every other product out there, it's all a matter of personal preference. What one mommy or parent decides is best for their child may be very different for another parents opinion. That doesn't make either right or wrong, just different. These are just the one's that K and I have researched and found many good points to sway our decision.

More Mommies than you can shake a stick at!

Congratulations to the two newest expecting mommies. One being my friend Dawn who just announced last Friday that she is expecting her second baby this June.

Another congratulations goes to Katie over at Bower Power.

I now know a handful of expecting mommies or new mommies and decided to give them their own shout out and created a new blog roll in my side bar just for mommies. I might even add some great mommy websites that I frequent.

G&D

MoonPie Designs

Rambling Renovators



Making it Lovely

The Stamford Wife

Laundry almost complete and a sick kitty

If you've been reading for a while now you may remember my post about our re-vamped laundry room. So now I am proud to introduce to you the second phase of our lovely laundry room - the drying rack.

Dad and K built the top shelf out of MDF and the metal bar is a simple shower curtain rod that you can buy at Home Depot. This week K will prime and paint the shelf.

We bought some simple white hangers from IKEA for K to hang dry his shirts. He believes that drying them in the dryer shrinks them, so this rack is a must in our house. Otherwise we end up with shirts hanging all over the door knobs in our house.

On a side note we came home to our poor little guy not feeling too well. At first I though it was just a hair ball. He gets very upset when he has a hair ball and ends up lying in his litter box. I thought that was all. However later in the evening when he finally came out of the litter box he kept lying on floor and rolling around like he was in pain. At one point he was actually shaking like he was cold. I tried to wrap him in a blanket, but he didn't want any part of it. K said to leave him be and if he was still acting odd in the morning we could call the vet. Thankfully he was back to his old wild and crazy self the next day. I guess just like humans, the older we get the harder it is for us to recuperate from a crazy night.

Am I crazy for trying???

Jacob's Coat Quilt Along

Okay, I know I have a lot on my plate right now. In fact my BF keeps telling me to relax and enjoy my pregnancy. I have to say every moment of this pregnancy has been wonderful. I was lucky enough to not experience morning sickness. I did have some eating issues. Like not knowing what I ever wanted to eat, plus the smell of food making me feel ill. There have definitely been some good times and some rough times, but I know that in the end I will have a precious child in my arms and it will all be worth it.

So I have been a little over the top with lists. To Do list, Registry List [4 pages in excel] and now the 30 Before 30 List. I guess it helps me deal with everything I put on my plate when I have a list and I check things off. I even swapped the calendar function in my Blackberry for the old fashion paper planner and highlighters. I like the feeling of writing things down and then crossing them off when they are done. I guess it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I think there's a name for that compulsive behaviour...hehehe

So here's the why I ask "am I crazy for trying" ever since I have been blogging I have wanted to participate in a quilt-a-long. In fact quilting is what got me into blogs in the first place. I have admired many quilters and their blogs for years now. I can finally say with several quilts under my belt, and the intention to create a quilt for Bunny I have decided to join a quilt-a-long.

Some of you may wonder what a quilt-a-long is. Well the short of it, is that a blogger post tutorials and guidelines for creating a quilt. They set goals like "create a block every day / week" and post about what the next step should be. Some bloggers even keep track of everyone who is following along and they link to their blogs or Flickr accounts where photos of their work can be seen.

So I have joined Don't Look Now's Jacob's Coat quilt-a-long. Wish me luck. Hopefully by the time our little Bunny has arrived I will have a quilt for them :)